Lewis Hamilton claims Ferrari defect has been costing him ‘four-tenths’ all season

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Lewis Hamilton insists the first half of the season has been ‘amazing’ for Ferrari despite a frustrating run leading into the summer break.

With 11 races down and 12 to go barring further cancellations, Hamilton is second in the standings – 50 points behind Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli.

Only Antonelli (nine) has scored more podiums than Hamilton (five) up to this point, though the Briton has managed just one in the last four races amid a string of penalties.

Here’s how the F1 championship looks at the summer break. Predict the top five at the end of the season 👇

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Lewis Hamilton reveals the extent of Ferrari’s engine weakness

Hamilton found it difficult to remain positive as his Hungary weekend, which showed so much promise, unravelled. After receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri, he said he couldn’t ‘catch a break’ in a social media post.

But stepping back from Budapest and reflecting on the season as a whole, he thinks Ferrari may have overachieved. The Scuderia are known to be lacking power compared to Mercedes and Red Bull.

The FIA ranked them in the third tier, which means their internal combustion engine is at least four percent down on the benchmark. This allowed them to introduce an upgrade in Austria, but the horsepower deficit remains: Hamilton believes he’s been losing up to four-tenths on the straights.

Their second permitted upgrade for the 2026 season will arrive after the summer break, potentially at their home race in Italy.

“It has been an amazing first half given I think we’ve been probably like three or four tenths down on the straights in pace and power for the first half of the season,” Hamilton said, via ESPN.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton has proof that one of his penalties this year was completely unfair

“I know the guys are pushing hard to bring upgrades for that. We’ve been bringing upgrades weekend in, weekend out. We’ve got a bit more to come in the second half, and we just keep on pushing. I think the second half will be stronger.”

Reliability has been a major asset for Ferrari so far, with the team only suffering one mechanical DNF. Hamilton has finished in the top six at every Grand Prix, while both Mercedes drivers have had two non-scores.